Zay tightened his grip on the boulder, his fingers slipping slightly against the wet surface as he pressed forward. His breath came in ragged bursts, his arms screaming with each step down the uneven stone path. The incline was sharp, the rocks jagged beneath his feet, made all the more treacherous by the storm. He forced himself to focus, adjusting his balance as he took another step. The weight of the boulder pressed down on his chest, compressing his lungs. Each breath was an effort.
Behind him, Renzo stumbled slightly, his foot slipping against the rain-slicked stone. He let out a sharp curse, tightening his grip around his own boulder as his aura flickered, reinforcing his hold. His body burned—his arms, his back, and his legs felt like they were on fire.
"This is some serious bullshit," he growled under his breath, thunder drowning out his voice as he trudged forward. His hazel eyes glowed faintly under the storm's wrath, reflecting a mixture of determination and sheer stubbornness.
Lily, despite her hesitation, had no choice but to follow. She braced herself against the howling winds, her hair whipping wildly around her face. The rain stung her skin like tiny daggers, and the cold had already seeped into her bones. Gritting her teeth, she crouched beside the last boulder, planting her hands against its rough surface.
"Alright… fine," she muttered, inhaling sharply. Light blue aura glowed around her body.
With a sharp exhale, she lifted. The boulder's immense weight slammed into her body instantly, forcing a strangled gasp from her lips. Her arms shook, her eyes widened, her knees nearly gave out as she adjusted to the sheer strain pressing down on her shoulders. The moment she steadied herself, she felt the ground shift beneath her. The wind pushed harder, as if it had singled her out specifically to torment.
Kazren watched them from higher up the mountain, arms crossed, his expression unreadable. Despite the storm's merciless fury, he stood still, completely at ease. The wind that sent even the strongest warriors stumbling didn't even make him flinch. He observed their struggle in silence, his sharp eyes catching every misstep, every sign of weakness.
"They're slow," he muttered to himself, shaking his head slightly. "I know I can't sense aura... but I know they rely too much on aura... these boulders were made by me. Without using aura, it's practically impossible... well for most people."
Lightning split the sky once more, revealing his smirk in the brief flash of white light.
Zay pressed on, his breathing growing heavier with every step. His vision blurred at the edges, exhaustion creeping into his limbs. His grip on the boulder tightened, his fingers cramping under the weight. His mind screamed at him to stop, to drop it, to rest.
Behind him, Renzo let out a strangled groan, his body screaming in protest. He pushed forward anyway, each movement fueled by pure spite and stubbornness.
"Oi," Kazren's voice cut through the storm like a blade. "If you three keep moving that slow, we'll be here all night."
Lily let out a sharp breath, adjusting her grip on her boulder as she glared at him. "Oh, I'm sorry. Would you like to try this yourself?" she snapped, rainwater dripping from her chin.
Kazren raised an eyebrow, a smirk tugging at the corner of his lips. "I could carry five of those at once if I wanted to," he replied smoothly. "But that's not the point. Keep moving."
Lily clenched her jaw, biting back a retort as she took another agonizing step forward.
After what felt like an eternity, the three of them finally reached the bottom of the mountain trail, their bodies battered, muscles burning, and soaked. The winds roared through the peaks, and lightning continued to split the sky, illuminating their exhausted faces in brief flashes of light.
Zay let out a deep breath, steadying himself before setting his boulder down with a heavy thud. He rolled his shoulders, trying to shake the numbness from his arms. Renzo, on the other hand, practically dropped his, groaning as he staggered backward, barely managing to keep himself from falling over.
"Three hours of that bullshit…" he muttered, rubbing his sore shoulders. "I think I'm gonna die."
Lily didn't say anything. She simply closed her eyes for a moment, inhaled deeply, then let her boulder fall with a dull thud. Her arms trembled slightly, but she straightened her back and forced herself to stand tall.
The adrenaline that had kept them moving finally drained away, leaving their bodies heavy, their limbs useless. One by one, they collapsed onto the cold, rain-soaked ground, their auras flickering out like dying embers. The storm roared overhead, wind howling through the trees like a wounded beast, while lightning and thunder cracked so violently it felt as if the mountain might split apart.
Kazren strode down the trail, his boots pressing deep into the wet earth, and let out a low chuckle as he watched them crumple.
"Ah, good times," he mused, shaking his head in amusement. "I remember when this happened to me."
But just as his smirk settled, something made him pause. His instincts sharpened. His eyes flicked eastward, narrowing as he locked onto something in the distance. He remained still, listening, feeling. He exhaled sharply, but whatever he sensed from his instincts wasn't worth acting on—yet.
Shaking off the moment, he returned his focus to the three unconscious siblings at his feet. Without hesitation, he lifted Lily onto his back, adjusting her limp form as he bent down and hooked his arms under Renzo and Zay, hoisting them effortlessly. Despite the brutal wind and pounding rain, Kazren moved with steady ease, making his way back up the treacherous mountain path.
The journey was quite slow due to the extra weight, the storm making each step more grueling, but after nearly thirty minutes, he reached the top of the mountain and approached his small hut, setting Renzo down first against the wall before pushing the door open. The wind howled through the entrance as he stepped inside, laying Zay and Lily carefully onto the wooden floor.
After a brief moment, he returned for Renzo, carrying him inside and shutting the door behind him. The cramped hut was dim, the only light coming from a flickering lantern that cast long, wavering shadows along the walls. The air was thick with the scent of rain and damp wood.
As Kazren turned, his sharp gaze landed on Zay, who was now sitting in a chair, awake. The young man was staring at him, eyes unreadable.
Kazren smirked and crossed his arms. "About time we had a moment."
He moved to the center of the room, grabbing a cloth to dry his hands before leaning against the table. His expression turned serious. "How did you know that fighting style? When we fought earlier—you used a motionless technique for handling that chain I've never taught anyone. Not once in my entire life."
Silence stretched between them for several minutes, save for the relentless storm outside. Thunder rumbled deep and strongly, lightning splitting the sky in brief, blinding flashes that illuminated the hut through the cracks in the wooden shutters.
Zay exhaled slowly, rolling his shoulders before cracking his knuckles. He leaned back just a little, his expression unreadable. "Someone who once held the 'Seal of Motionless Time'." His amethyst eyes flickered. "I have a feeling you already know how I know."
Kazren let out a short laugh, rubbing his jaw. "That old thing, huh? Damn… been a long time since I heard about it. Good times. Well, since you're bringing that up… and the fact you even knew that existed. I'll go off on a whim and say it's related to time..." He gave Zay a sharp look, his smirk returning. "You're in some kind of time loop, aren't you?"
Zay's lips curled into a small smirk of his own. "You can call it that if you'd like... but it's not exactly a time loop. More like a full reset… and honestly, the 'Book of Nominations' I don't even know where to start looking for the damn thing. I've never found it to begin with." He exhaled in frustration. "That thing's hidden like snow in the Northern Mountains."
Kazren huffed and stood, pacing toward the window. "Tell me about it. I spent nearly ten years looking for it before I gave up. At this point, I'm not even sure it exists."
The two men sat in silence for a moment, listening to the wind batter the hut, rain pelting the roof like tiny daggers. Kazren eventually sighed, turning back toward Zay. "Well… if you do ever find it, you know where to find me."
Zay studied him for a moment. "So, you're gonna keep training them?"
Kazren smirked. "There had to be a damn good reason why one version of myself trained you in that style. So yeah—I'll keep training them. If nothing else, I trust my own judgment... even if it's a version of me I've never met or can remembered."
Zay chuckled, standing up to pour himself a glass of water. The liquid was refreshingly cool as he took a long drink. The exhaustion of the day weighed on him, but he could somewhat handle it.
Just then, a groggy voice interrupted the moment.
"W-what happened to me…?"
Renzo stirred, his hazel eyes fluttering open as he shifted against the wall, still weak.
Zay set down his glass and smirked. "Nothing at all. You just passed out for a while—same as Lily. That boulder training must've taken more out of you than you thought."
Renzo groaned, rubbing his forehead as he tried to process everything.
Zay exhaled and stretched before lying down on the cramped wooden floor next to Lily. Space was limited, but he didn't care. He folded his arms behind his head, letting out a quiet sigh.
'This place… is always so damn cramped,' he thought to himself before closing his eyes, letting exhaustion finally pull him into sleep.
Outside, the storm raged on, but inside the small hut, a strange sense of peace settled—however temporary it might be.